Kaplods I can't believe how much time you've wasted in researching this when common sense tells us to do without. What's the purpose of finding which one is a little less bad than the other? I guess I see it a little differently, I'm not willing to entertain my sweet tooth or fool it or appease it in anyway. My sweet tooth can curl up and die for all I care. The only thing I try to allow it (when I'm not off on one of my binges sadly) is one piece of dark chocolate every day. It makes me happy, it's in moderation and at least the chocolate carries a minute benefit.

For me it's not worth even debating about it. I quit all alternative sweeteners and I couldn't be happier or prouder. It was very hard. I would say it was 2 months of torture. Well worth every moment of it. Artificial sweeteners not only affect our body but our brain too, I remember quite clearly when the fog lifted shortly after I quit. Best feeling in the world. Every once in a while I enjoy a diet cola but I have to be cautious because whenever I find myself binge eating there are trails of diet soda that have led to it imo.

Don't pander to your body's need of sweetener. You can and should do with out. And by doing so you will allow your body to really enjoy the flavors of real fruit. There is something quite lovely about bitter coffee/tea if you allow yourself to taste it. In fact, it's sad how our present day culture has completely rid of the bitter profiles in food. I've learned how to enjoy bitter food and appreciate its flavor on its own. It doesn't need an antidote.

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"If you pay attention to when you are hungry, what your body wants, what you are eating, when you've had enough, you end the obsession because obsession and awareness cannot coexist." - Geneen Roth